Washing ingredient dispensing mechanism for washing apparatus



Dec. l2, `1950 w F GAYRING Erm.` 2,534,014

WASHING INGREnIEN'r DISPENSING MECHANISM Fox WASHING APPARATUS Filed March 25. 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 B F15- Y @Aw INR-.12,1950 w. F. GAYRING Erm. 2,534,014

" NT DISPENSING MECHNISM WASHING INGREDIE FOR WASHING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 25, 1949 y Dec. 195o 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 25. 1949 'NNI IhlNul Patented Dec. 112, 1950 WASHING INGREDIENT DISPENSING .MECH- ANISM FOR WASHING APPARATUS Wallace F. Gayrlng, Minna, and John Neuroth, Syracuse, N. Y., assignors to The Prosperity Company, Inc., Syracuse, N. Y

of New York a `corporation Application March 25, 1949, Serial No. 83,482

2 Claims.

This invention relates to laundry washing machines and has for its object a mechanism for dispensing predetermined amounts of washing ingredients or chemicals into the water to be used in the washing machine, and more particularly to mechanism for flushing measured amounts of ingredients successively from receptacles or containers into the water as it flows into a tank of the washing apparatus, and indexing the flushing current of water successively from one receptacle to the next during different periods of 4 the washing cycle.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of one type of washing machine embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary enlarged elevation, partly in section, showing the indexing mechanism in end elevation.

Figures 4 and 5 are respectively a plan View and a side elevation of the indexing mechanism.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view of the escapement stop roller on the index carriage for the ilushing nozzle. and the contiguous escapement member of a series of escapement members.

Figure I is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view showing the deilector in the inlet pipe to the manifold.

The invention may be applied to the washing vat, or tank, of the washing machine, or to a premixing tank from which the water is supplied to the vat. It is here shown as applied to the washing vat, or outer drum or tank of a washing ma chine in contradistinction to a pre-mixing tank arranged at a higher level than the washing machine. Insofar as the indexing mechanism forming the subject matter of this application is concerned, the invention may be applied to either the washing drum, or a pre-mixing tank.

I designates the outer drum of a washing machine, this being arranged in horizontal position and having a loading door 2 at its front end, an inner perforated clothes containing drum 3 being mounted in the outer drum, the inner drum being movable about an axis during the washing operations in the usual manner.

4 designates a manifold for the incoming water, this extending along one side of the drum I and having a discharge pipe 5 into the drum I. It communicates through a pipe 6 with supply pipes 1 and 8 for hot and cold water. The flow of water through the pipes 1 and 8 is controlled by valves 9 and Il! respectively operated by air operated motors, as diaphragms in diaphragm chambers II and I2, respectively. The control valves and their operating means form no part of this invention. However, it might be stated that the operation of the valve mechanism, as well as the operation of the mechanismfor other valves of the washing machine, as the dump valve mechanism I3, are controlled by a cycle timer I4 of any suitable construction, and also that the mechanism for the indexing and flushing 0D- erations for carrying the ingredients an-d chemicals into the Water flowing into the drum I are controlled by the cycle timer I4.

The invention comprises a series of ingredient receptacles supported along the manifold 4 to discharge thereinto, a carriage movable along the series of receptacles, a flexible water pipe having a nozzle carried by the carriage and arranged to discharge into the receptacles, actuating mechanism biased to shift the carriage and the nozzleas a unit along the series of receptacles, an escapement mechanism including a trip member carried by the carriage, and a series of members arranged along the series of receptacles, one for each receptacle, to coact successively with the trip member on the carriage during the indexing movement of the carriage. so that when operated the actuating means shifts the carriage and the nozzle thereon from one container to the next.

I5 designates the receptacles of the series, these being arranged to discharge at I5 into the manifold 4 and being open at their tops. These receptacles are of two forms, one for liquid ingredients and another for granular, ilaked, or powdered, ingredients. v

I8 designates the carriage movable alongtracks I9 supported as by brackets 2B in a box or casing 2| on the side of the drum I, the carriage being here shown as having rollers 22 movable along the tracks. The carriage is formed with a han dle 23 on its upper side by means of which it is returned to starting position against the power tending to shift it along the tracks I9. A suitable pointer 24 is carried by the handle and has a depending end portion 26 movable over an index plate 21 on the front sideof the casing enclosing the carriage and the tracks. The carriage is actuated or biased to move in one di-` rection by any suitable motor, here shown as a weight 28, Figures 2 and 5, connected by a cord 29 to the carriage, the cord running over a pulley 30. The weight is housed in a tube 3 I.

32, Figures 3, 4 and 5, designates a nozzle for the flushing water, this being supported by the carriage and connected by a ilexible hose 33 to a source of supply, it being here shown as connected to the intake water pipe E. The nozzle is directed downwardly to discharge into the receptacles I5. As here'shown, Figures `2 and 7, the hose 33 isconnected to the apex of a conical deector 34 in the pipe 6, the deflector being formed with perforations for permitting the water to pass through the pipe 6 into the manifold 4, and some of the water to be directed with considerable force up through the pipe 33 and out through the nozzle 32 where it washes or ilushes the ingredient in the container into the manifold 4.

35, Figures 3, 4, and 6, designates the series of escapement members arranged along the receptacles, one for each receptacle, these being shown as shiftable stops or levers pivoted at 36 along the tracks I9, one for each receptacle, and one normally coacting with a stop shoulder or roller 31 on the carriage so that the member 35, with which the roller is engaged, holds the carriage from being actuated by the Weight 28.

38 designates the trip member of the escapement mechanism, this being an air operated device carried by the carriage and connected by a pipe 38A to a hose 39 leading from a source of air supply having a valve therein operated by the timer. and piston, the rod of the piston 40 thrusting when actuated against the member 35 to lift it on its pivot out of engagement with the roller or shoulder 31 and thus release the carriage so that it will be shifted by the weight. The movement of the piston by the air coming through the pipe 39 is against a returning spring 4I. Whenever a member 35 is tripped, the carriage will be moved along the tracks I9 until the roller 31 engages the next member 35. During the tripping operation, the member 35 being tripped is shifted above the roller and it drops into normal position into a slot at 42 in the carriage. When the roller 31 clears the tripped member 35, the pivotal movement downward of the member 35 is limited by the front wall of the slot' in which the member 35 is located. The actuation of the piston rod is but momentary and even if the roller 31 encounters the piston rod, the rod immediately shifts out of the path of the roller under the reaction of the spring 4 I Each receptacle I5 is formed with a bottom 43 which terminates short of the outer wall of the container providing a passage 44 and a horizontally extending baille plate 45 terminating short of the rear wall of the receptacle providing a passage 46 so that when the water is projected from the nozzle 32, the granulated ingredient is flushed out of the container into the manifold 4 where it is picked up by the water flowing into the drum I through the manifold. For liquid ingredients, a container or cup 41 is inserted in the receptacle, the container being provided with a siphon tube 48, one end of which extends at 49 through a hole in the bottom 43. Thus, when the water is discharged from the nozzle 32 into the cup 41 and raises the level of the liquid contents above the upper end of the siphon tube 48, the contents of the cup will drain completely out of the cup onto the deector 45 and into the manifold 4. During the draining, the cup can also overow into the receptacle I5 and out onto the manifold.

The hose 39 Iis connected to an air pipe 5I from a box casing 52 on the top 0f the drum I. The casing contains valves operated by the timer I4 controlling the flow of air through the pipe 5I This device 38 may be a cylinder and other pipes 53, 54, 55, leading to the air motors for the valves 9, I0, and the dump valve. The timer I4 is mounted on the casing 52.

In operation, with the formula sheet in the timer for the washing cycle, the ingredients are filled into the receptacles, the water valves are opened by the timer for the first washing operation. As the water lls into the drum I, through the manifold 4, it also flows through the pipe 33 and nozzle 32, flushing out the ingredient in the rst receptacle in line with the nozzle, into the water owing into the drum I. As the washing cycle progresses, the timer opens the dump valve and also again opens the water valve and actuates the trip 31, permitting the carriage to index to the next escapement member 35, or to the next ingredient receptacle, where the flushing out operation is repeated with the ingredient in the second receptacle, as the water flows in for the next washing operation into the drum I. These operations are repeated until the end of the washing cycle when the operator then resets the carriage by taking hold of the handle 23 and moving it to the left to startingr position, lifting the weight 28. The receptacles are then refilled for the next washing cycle.

-What we claim is:

l. An ingredient dispensing mechanism foi` laundry washing machines comprising a series of ingredient receptacles, a carriage movable along the series of receptacles, actuating mechanism biased to shift the carriage along the series of receptacles into successive register therewith, an escapement mechanism controlling the actuation of the carriage, and a ilush water pipe having a nozzle carried by the carriage and arranged to discharge in the receptacles individually when the carriage is indexed by the escapement mechanism from one receptacle to another.

2. An ingredient dispensing mechanism for laundry washing machines comprising a series of ingredient receptacles, a carriage `movable along the series of receptacles, actuating mechanism biased to shift the carriage along the series of receptacles into successive register therewith, an escapement mechanism controlling the actuation of the carriage, and a ush water pipe having a nozzle carried by the carriage and arranged to discharge in the receptacles individually when the carriage is indexed by the escapement mechanism from one Areceptacle, to another, the escapement mechanism comprising a series of stop members, one paired with each receptacle, mounted along the series of receptacles, a stop member on the carriage located to engage the former stop members successively, and a trip member on the carriage located and operable to trip the one of the series of former members paired with the receptacle with which the carriage is in register.

WALLACE F. GAYRING. JOHN NEUROTH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the i'lle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,312,950 Zimarik Mar. 2, 1943 2,410,873 Gayring Nov. l2, 1946 

